To Live Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure
by AlmostAmber
Summary: This is the story of Amelia; An ordinary hobbit with an extraordinary desire for adventure.


It was early summer when she decided to take her leave. The sun had warmed the hills of Newbury, casting out any trace of the bitter cold winter that had fallen over the quaint little village. The first signs of summer harvest were appearing in every direction that Amelia looked, it seemed. Farmers had began setting up their farm stands on the off (or, I should say, extremely off) chance that a traveler or two would pass through the village in need of shelter and food for the night. However, visitors were rare in the Hobbit village. Most travelers completely bypassed Newbury altogether, preferring to make their stops in Bree, where an inn was available for a decent meal and place to rest one's head. Not that anyone would be happily welcomed in the homes of most Hobbits, anyway. Hobbits were creatures of habit, and didn't take well to change. Well, most of them, that is. Some Hobbits happened to be quite different. These particular individuals longed for adventure, to see distant lands only heard about in legends, to encounter creatures they never dreamed existed. Amelia Tadly happened to be one of those Hobbits.

Amelia was what most Hobbits considered to be an oddball, different from the rest. She had a certain personality about her that puzzled her fellow townsfolk. For starters, most Hobbit women were settled down with a husband and expecting her first bairn by the age of 35, or at least courting, for heaven's sake! However, Amelia held no interest in the matter. Not yet, at least. As her father always said, she would rather have her head in the clouds dreaming of the impossible over planning for her future. "For goodness sakes, you haven't even prepared a Glory Box!" her mother would scold, though it didn't seem to do a bit of good. The young hobbit would continue to dream, truly believing her dreams were far from impossible.

It wasn't until Amelia reached the age of 34 that she began speaking of her plans to leave. Of course, no one believed her, for no one ever seemed to leave home, save for those betrothed to Hobbits in other villages. And even then, they did not move very far. As I stated before, Hobbits were creatures of habit, and traveling, among other things, made them uncomfortable.

Doubt as they may, Amelia set about preparations for her trip. She secured a traveling cloak, a bed roll, a pack, and as much as she despised them, a pair of good breeches for when winter fell once more. She did all of this in secrecy, deciding there was no use in arguing with the other Hobbits. No, that would not do at all. She would simply prepare and when the time was right, she'd take off.

And that, my friends, is where our story begins. As mentioned before, Amelia left Newbury in the very early days of summer, despite the attempts of her father to get her stay on. Her mother had given uo hope, it seemed, or she was in denial. Amelia supposed her mother believed that she would back out of her decision to travel, but she could never be more wrong.

Her journey began on a Saturday morning long before the sun managed to make it's appearance int the sky. Not a soul in Newbury was awake, and they wouldn't be. It was simply unheard of for a Hobbit to rise before the sun, or at the very least, the chickens. That was perfect for Amelia, though. It was much easier for her to slip away unnoticed. The young Hobbit set out on foot that morning, making a quick departure from the village. Just as she stepped past the gates, she turned to spare one last glance at the village she had been born into. A twinge of guilt pulled at her heart once she noticed the light of the sun illuminating Newbury in a warm glow. Her parents would be waking any moment now, discovering her absence. Amelia tightened her grip on the straps of her pack, waring with herself over her decision. She should turn back now, and forget everything she had planned, her mind told her. But her heart spoke otherwise. With a heavy sigh and a few shed tears, Amelia bade goodbye to the village of Newbury and stepped off into the Great Unknown that was Middle Earth.


End file.
